Why are they cutting him? We always seem to think that there's gold in everyone else's rubbish. It's like believing you can get a $500 suit at Ocean State Job Lot just because they show them in the Sunday newspaper insert. No one's giving away good players because of cap problems. Just ask Vulgar on 98.5 -the cap is crap. Along with his radio show, coincidentally...

Why are they cutting him? We always seem to think that there's gold in everyone else's rubbish. It's like believing you can get a $500 suit at Ocean State Job Lot just because they show them in the Sunday newspaper insert. No one's giving away good players because of cap problems. Just ask Vulgar on 98.5 -the cap is crap. Along with his radio show, coincidentally...

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Turns out that he isn't as good as a stand up 3-4 OLB as he is as a DE with his hand in the dirt.

Why are they cutting him? We always seem to think that there's gold in everyone else's rubbish. It's like believing you can get a $500 suit at Ocean State Job Lot just because they show them in the Sunday newspaper insert. No one's giving away good players because of cap problems. Just ask Vulgar on 98.5 -the cap is crap. Along with his radio show, coincidentally...

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The other part of that equation, we think we can trade our rubbish for high draft choices.

I agree with others sentiments, Andre Carter 2.0. He's a bad 3-4 OLB just like Carter was, but is a probowl DE in the 4-3. He will be fresh too, not having to start like Carter. Start Jones and rotate Ninko, Freeney, and Armstead in at the other DE side and in nascar packages.

He would be the Andre Carter situation if we wanted to bring Andre Carter back in 2018.

He's done and has always been overrated because he spins five yards out to get a shot at the QB while the running back just blitzkreig up through his gap that he completely ignores. People like sacks and think splash sacks make up for complete ineptitude 90% of the game where he does nothing and is a liability against the run.

He is Ninkovich except older, more expensive, has a narrower role value and a million times worse against the run, as impossible as that may seem.

He would be the Andre Carter situation if we wanted to bring Andre Carter back in 2018.

He's done and has always been overrated because he spins five yards out to get a shot at the QB while the running back just blitzkreig up through his gap that he completely ignores. People like sacks and think splash sacks make up for complete ineptitude 90% of the game where he does nothing and is a liability against the run.

He is Ninkovich except older, more expensive, has a narrower role value and a million times worse against the run, as impossible as that may seem.

Freeney would not be a good fit, at all, in NE. He's not a starter in NE system (more below). As a backup he'd be way too high priced.

As for comparisons to Andre Carter? Not even close. Carter was physically stout enough to be serviceable as a DE when it came time to hold his ground against the run. And, yes, that was a job requirement for Carter within a Belichick D. Freeney?? He "plays the run on the way to the QB." A Belichick defense, even in a 4-3, does not operate that way. People automatically assume that Carter was just a pass rusher. He really wasn't. The guy was a complete DE. People like to mention that Carter sucked in a 3-4, as if that means he wasn't physical. That's misleading. He sucked in the 3-4 because Orakpo was now being used as the primary rusher; while everyone else - like Carter - had to muck it out and two-gap in order to support Orakpo. However, once he went back to NE, Carter went back to being the primary rusher. He was great. But that's also why you hardly ever saw Mark Anderson and Andre Carter out on the field, at the same time. Only one guy could be in the 7-technique. But that guy still needs to be able to play the run and hold ground. Carter could. Freeney can't.

Freeney is more like a comparison to Mark Anderson. Anderson looked good when he only got a dozen snaps per game, all against the pass. But once he had to became a starter (cause of Carter's injury)? His weaknesses stood out. If you want to understand the importance of maintaining a gap; watch Anderson against the run. The guy would try to fly by his man, all speed, and there would be a giant hole if it was a run. How many times did you see Anderson bolt off the line, only for it to be a handoff, and the RB getting a free lane? Freeney would be the same way.

Carter? That guy could rush while still maintaining his gap. That's what the Patriot's need (and have).

That isn't even remotely close to anything I said. Sorry, Freeney is completely shot and even in his prime I wouldn't want him on the Patriots. He used his famed spin move and sometimes it'd work, sometimes it'd even get him a sack, but most of the time all he did was look like an idiot doing ballerina moves fifteen yards out, completely taking himself out of the play as the QB sat in the pocket and picked the defense apart or even more likely, the RB ran right through his gap for a 5+ yard gain on first down.

It's just that in the 75-90% of the plays where he did nothing but give up a massive run gain or did nothing to rush the passer, CBS/ESPN/FOX obviously wouldn't play that. What they do play is the highlight reel sacks and ignore the other 60 snaps a game where he was a massive liability and did nothing.

That isn't even remotely close to anything I said. Sorry, Freeney is completely shot and even in his prime I wouldn't want him on the Patriots. He used his famed spin move and sometimes it'd work, sometimes it'd even get him a sack, but most of the time all he did was look like an idiot doing ballerina moves fifteen yards out, completely taking himself out of the play as the QB sat in the pocket and picked the defense apart or even more likely, the RB ran right through his gap for a 5+ yard gain on first down.

It's just that in the 75-90% of the plays where he did nothing but give up a massive run gain or did nothing to rush the passer, CBS/ESPN/FOX obviously wouldn't play that. What they do play is the highlight reel sacks and ignore the other 60 snaps a game where he was a massive liability and did nothing.

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There is probably no pass rusher in our generation that influenced pass defense more than Freeney. Between double teaming and accounting for him, QBs getting rid of the ball more quickly because he got close and the actual sacks and hits, to say Freeney affected only the plays he had sacks on is ignorant.

It is equally ignorant to say the Freeney playing in a system that told him to rush the passer on every snap, and then find the ball carrier if it happens to be a run, makes teams running past him while he is in a pass rush move his fault.
I severely doubt his run D skills but to criticize him for spinning out of the play when he was coached to do so is silly.

Sorry, was not implying that you thought that. It seems every week there are posts here offering one of our JAGS for a good draft pick.

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I know. It's like the nitwit that called talk radio last year and suggested that the Red Sox offer Aviles, Matzuzaka, Jenks, Nava, Kalish, 2 guys who sell pretzels and Merloni for Felix Hernandez. Sounds fair to me...

I'd take him if the price is right. He's the kind of player who makes the players around him better. He taught the whole colts line his spin move and it helped quite a few players. Mathis probably isn't half the player he is if he didn't play with Freeney. Would be great to steal him from Polian too.

Here are my comments on the Charles Woodson thread. They apply to Freeney too:

I don't know. I'm tired of the Pats picking up other teams' aging stars and trying to squeeze a few more good years out of them, often with mixed results (which look like this - older guy comes in, looks good in camp, looks like he's going to be great, oops, injury, just can't get back to form, after teasing us for a while). Is it too much to ask that they go into the draft and get a stud that can start young and healthy here and be here for years to come? It's been a while since Rodney Harrison joined the team.

Here are my comments on the Charles Woodson thread. They apply to Freeney too:

I don't know. I'm tired of the Pats picking up other teams' aging stars and trying to squeeze a few more good years out of them, often with mixed results (which look like this - older guy comes in, looks good in camp, looks like he's going to be great, oops, injury, just can't get back to form, after teasing us for a while). Is it too much to ask that they go into the draft and get a stud that can start young and healthy here and be here for years to come? It's been a while since Rodney Harrison joined the team.

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I think it is better to do all of the above. Signing a veteran supplements what you can do with the draft, it doesn't replace it.